Recently I decided that I would try and be a little more green around the home. While I can’t afford to go out and buy new appliances, I knew that I needed to replace my lawn mower which is why I decided to buy the Fiskars Momentum reel mower. Because it doesn’t require any gas or electiricity to power it, it will help reduce harmful pollutants in the atmosphere.

There are pros and cons to my push reel mower which I have discovered since trying it out this past summer. The most positive thing about the Momentum reel mower is that it is green. I do not have to worry about running to the store to buy gas half way through my mowing (this also saves me money). I do not have to worry about accidently running over the cord or getting it twisted. 

The Momentum is easy to adjust so whether my husband mows the lawn or I mow, there isn’t any problem moving the handle up or down. You can  also easily adjust the width and height of the blades so you get the cut that you want.

Probably the only con that I have discovered so far is that I actually have to push it myself! I do get some needed exercise though.

The Neato XV-11 robotic vacuum is not a sweeper vacuum but a real powerful vacuum.  Similar to any decent traditional vacuum, it has powerful suction and effectively vacuums all dust and pet hair from your carpets. 

Unlike with the Roomba, hair doesn’t get stuck around the brush but end up in the dusttank.

Apart from cleaning out the dusttank when it is full, there literally is no other maintenance required.

At 0.66 liter (22.3 fl oz) the dusttank is bigger than the other robotic vacuum cleaners’.   It is also easy to remove and clean.  The dusttank is opened by clipping the filter open.  This is handy as no dust/debris will fall out when you remove the dusttank and walk with it to empty it out in the bin.  Cleaning the filter is easy using your upright vacuum cleaner.

The Neato XV-11 can be scheduled to clean any time on any day 7 days in advance.  This means that you can schedule it to clean while you are at work.  It’s always great to come home to a clean house!

The battery life is fairly good.  Officially it lasts 90 minutes but users have reported between 60 and 90 minutes. 

The XV-11 is very clever in that it uses a laser to scan and map the room before it starts cleaning.  This enables it to “know” where the boundaries and any obstacles are.  The XV-11 therefore won’t bump into and damage your furniture.

When shopping for a Christmas gift for my mom, I came across the Woodstock Wind Chimes on Amazon. As my mom is an avid bird watcher, she has many bird feeders as well as wind chimes hanging around her trees. Because she has sensitive ears, she cannot handle tinny sounding chimes so I am always on the lookout for quality chimes that sound good as well as are pretty. When I ran across this particular brand of chimes I was quite impressed with how they are made. Not only are they nice looking but you can also pick your chime according to different popular musical pieces such as Canon in D or Amazing Grace. You can even go on their site to hear exactly how the chimes sound so that you aren’t surprised. I ended up buying a set of chimes and she was  thrilled with her gift. I liked hers so much that I ended up buying a set for myself as I too love the sound of chimes as the wind races by. I don’t think any garden is complete without chimes or bird feeders hanging in the trees!

It is Germany’s best-selling vacuum cleaner and as of today still leads amazon’s hotlist for cleaning appliances. The AEG Vampyr CE 2000 is in the pole position and as far as I can tell, it will stay there for quite a while. But the interesting thing is, the CE 2000 is by far not the most powerful vacuum. With merely 2000 Watt it is definitely a solid performer, but there are virtually hundreds of other models that can top that easily. However, those usually fall short in handling, maintenance cost and features. And that’s exactly the huge advantage this particular vacuum has over its competition.

It is a typical all-rounder, with a very solid product profile. Now there are many experts who like to point out and criticize that the CE 2000 is not state of the art as it is still using bags. However, the truth of the matter is, practically all bag-less vacuum cleaners have one significant disadvantage: emptying the dust container is usually a rather messy affair and can actually get dangerous for people with allergies. If you’d like to learn more about the AEG Vampyr CE 2000, please click on the link. On this German website you will find more details and further informative data on other vacuum cleaners.